A new and comprehensive gazetteer of Virginia, and the District of Columbia, Part 82

Author: Martin, Joseph. ed. cn; Brockenbrough, William Henry
Publication date: 1835
Publisher: Charlottesville, J. Martin
Number of Pages: 1278

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USA > Virginia > A new and comprehensive gazetteer of Virginia, and the District of Columbia > Part 82

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Bacon having now provided a regular government for the country pro- ceeded once more against the Indians, who had formed a confederacy and gained several advantages since his retreat. He destroyed the Pamunkey, Chickahominy and Mattaponi towns and their corn, in retaliation of the late excesses. The Indians retreated before him, with occasional skir- mishes until they reached their place of general rendezvous near the falls of James river. He there found their whole force posted on an eminence overhanging a stream which from the sanguinary nature of the conflict has been since called Bloody Run. They were protected by a stockade fort, which was stormed by the impetuous ardor of Bacon and his follow- ers, who made great slaughter among them, encumbered as they were with their old men, women and children.

In the mean time Berkeley had not met with that warm reception which he had anticipated amongst the loyalists of Accomac, but on the other hand he had been presented with a strong and spirited remonstrance against the objectionable acts of Parliament, and a requisition that they should be suspended at least so far as regarded that portion of the country. . How the matter terminated we are not informed.

* Burk, vol. II. p. 179, says -- by Bacon and four other members of the Council, but the member of the Council was Nathaniel Bacon, sen., and the General was Nath'l Bacon, jun., delegate for Henrico .- Hening, vol. II. p. 544 -- 5.

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'The governor was not allowed to remain undisturbed in Accomac, until he could again succeed in raising a force which might give trouble. Ba- con's party was in possession of all the vessels in the colony, and two of his friends, Giles Bland and William Carver, went with their force to cut off supplies from the governor, or as his friends surmised, to surprise him. But if such was their object they were defeated, for Capt. Larimore from whom one of the vessels had been taken, gave intimation to the governor's friends that he would betray his vessel into the hands of a party sufficient- ly strong to keep possession. The proposal was acceded to, and at mid- night six and twenty men, obeying Larimore's signal, were along side of his ship and had possession almost before the crew were aroused from their slumbers; the other vessels were then easily taken. Thus Sir Wil- liam finding himself in possession of the whole naval force of the colony whilst Bacon was absent in his expedition against the Indians, he collected together a force of some six hundred men, consisting mostly of aristocratic gentlemen and their servile dependants, and took possession once more of James Town. As usual his first act in returning to power was to disavow his acts in favor of Bacon as made under duress, and again to declare him a rebel, and his soldiers traitors.

Bacon was on his return from his successful campaign when this news reached him; most of his followers had dispersed, but he hastened on with the remainder without regard to their fatigues in the recent campaign. He arrived before James Town late in the evening, fired his artillery and sounded a defiance, and then cooly dismounted and laid off his trenches. His men that very night by the aid of trees, earth and brush-wood formed a tolerable breast-work, and the next morning advanced to the palisadoes of the town and fired upon the guard, without loss. Sir William Berke- ley well knowing that time would increase the force of his adversary whilst it diminished his own, next resolved to try the effects of a sally, and. some of his men at first behaved with some show of courage, but the whole body soon retreated in disorder before the well directed fire of Bacon's men, leaving their drum and their dead as trophies to the victors. Bacon would not allow the victory to be followed up, as it would have placed his men under the range of the guns of the shopping. To prevent the ase. which might be made of this auxiliary, he planted several great guns, so as to bear on the ships, which served also to alarm though they could not annoy the town.

Now the marked difference which existed between the character of. Ba- con's troops and those of the governor was exhibited, and that too in a man- ner well calculated to exhibit the character of Bacon's proceedings. Berkeley's troops consisting principally of mercenary wretches, whom he had scraped together by the hopes of plunder, deserted every day when they found that the governor was determined to defend the place, and that they were likely to get more blows than booty in the contest, until at last the governor was left with little more than twenty gentlemen, whose sense of honor would not allow them to desert his person. Bacon's troops on the other hand were daily reinforced by accessions from the country people, who clearly considered him as an intrepid soldier who had delivered them from the butcheries of the savages, and a patriot who was now endeavor- ing to put down an odious and oppressive government.

'The governor finding his followers reduced to so small a number that it . would be madness to attempt to defend the place, at length yielded to the

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earnest solicitations of those about him, and deceiving his adversaries as to his real design by exhibiting evidences of a contemplated attack, he went on board a ship at midnight and was seen next morning riding at anchor beyond the reach of the guns in the fort at James Town. Bacon with his followers, after their week's seige marched into the empty town the next morning, the governor and his party having carried off or destroyed every article of value. The possession of James Town in this situation was of no advantage to Bacon or his followers. The men who had left their homes to defend their country from the incursions of the Indians, could not remain together for the purpose of defending the capital from their hostile governor, who was quietly waiting in the river for them to depart, in order that he might again resume possession. What could be done with a town which could not be defended, and if defended was of no value to the possessors; but which was all-important to the enemy ? . The answer to this question was manifest, and Bacon's proposal for its destruction was received with acclamation ; several of his followers, who owned the most valuable houses, applying the firebrand with their own hands to their own property. The sight of the flames started Sir William Berkeley on a cruize to Accomac; and Bacon having overcome all opposition to the government established by the convention, dismissed his troops to their homes.

We have little account of Bacon's proceedings after this successful ter- mination of his labors; we presume he did not do much as he was ill of a disease caught by sleeping exposed in the trenches before Jamestown, ; which in a short time terminated his existence. He died at the house of a Mr. Pate in Gloucester county. Thus died the distinguished individual, who overcame both the foreign and domestic enemies of his country, and left it enjoying the blessings of a free government. Had he lived precisely a century later he would have been one of the distinguished heroes of the revolution, and historians would have delighted as much in eulogizing his conduct as they have, under existing circumstances in blackening his cha- racter. He accomplished all which it was possible for him to do. He never opposed the British government but only foreign enemies, and do- mestic mal-administration, which he succeeded in defeating. He seems al- ways to have acted by the consent and wish of the people, and never to have sought self-agrandizement. It was manifestly impossible for him to elevate himself to absolute power in Virginia without the consent of the government in England, and the people of Virginia; and the idea of resist- ing both of these powers was absurd. For all the evils which accrued to the country after his death, and the restoration of Sir William Berkeley, he has been unjustly made responsible, whilst he has received no credit for his good conduct, or the beneficial acts passed by the legislature during his as- cendency. In short we can see no difference between his course, and that pursued in the previous expulsion of Sir John Harvey from the government, or the subsequent treatment of Lord Dunmore and many other royal go- vernors at the commencement of the revolution. The only difference be- tween the patriots of 1676 and 1776 was in the establishment of a free go- vernment, subject to the general controul of Great Britain, which was all that could be done in 1676, and the establishment of a free government in- · dependent of Great Britain, which was accomplished in 1776. The unfors, tunate death of Bacon, and the power of the mother country, destroyed in a great measure the benefit of the exertion of the little band of patriots of

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the first period, whilst the benefit of the latter have continued to exist. ' The loyal writers after the re-establishment of Berkeley, sought to hide his pu- sillanimity by extolling his virtues, and blackening his adversary, in which they have been blindly followed by other writers, who have attribut- ed the subsequent misery to the previous rebellion instead of to the avarice, malignity and revenge of the governor and his party, seeking to overawe and suppress popular indignation, and break the strength of the popular

a« party by the forcible exertion of arbitrary authority, as well as to avenge themselves for the indignities to which their own folly subjected them. On the other hand the patriots of the revolution have only received the just re- ward of their merit, in the lavish praises of a grateful posterity; and the loyal party of their day, has been justly handed down to universal execra- tion .*

* It will be seen that we have formed a more favorable opinion of Bacon and his co- adjutors than has been generally expressed. This opinion was formed by a hasty perusal of all the documents to be found on the subject in Hening and Burke. We have followed in our account of his life the Breviare and Conclusum in Burke, which we believe is authentic; Ist. Because it was written by the king's commissioners, who would naturally be in favor of government, and were sent over at the special in- stance of Sir William Berkeley and upon his representations; 2nd. Because their ac- count is impartial, and consistent with itself and with other evidence ; 3rd. Because they took every means to inform themselves, and could not have been infected with the warm partizan feeling of either side; 4th. And. lastly, because the "justification of Sir William Berkeley," which was manifestly written by a warm friend and parti- zan, whilst it denies the truth of the Breviare and Conclusum, with regard to Sir William's conduct subsequent to the rebellion, does not deny its truth with regard to ' the history of the rebellion itself.

We see no act of aggression on the part of Bacon; the civil war is always commenced by the governor, whilst Bacon's attention is constantly diverted to hostilities with the Indians. We do not see Bacon arrogating power to himself but to the people. We find him after his first conduct acknowledging himself in error and asking pardon, and when we see him afterwards bringing citizens to Jamestown, it is not to put supreme power into his own hands or to over- awe the legislature which was favorable to him, but it is to force the governor by the clamors of the people, to give him the commission which was so necessary to the pre- servation of the colonists from the incursions of the savages. When he obtains this commission we do not see him use it against his country but its enemies. . But the go- vernor first signs an indemnity, and even a letter to the king justifying and extolling the conduct of Bacon, and then when he is out of sight declares him a rebel and a traitor and prepares troops to oppose him, not in making war upon his country, but in actually fighting the Indians under his commission, and after his letter of praise. Under these circumstances, when the governor acted in a manner so friendly to the Indians and so hostile to the country, it was the duty of every honest man to resist his efforts, and to deprive him of his authority, to prevent his ruining the country which he ought to have protected. This Bacon did. But did he then seize the reins of go- vernment, and play the tyrant,-no, he defeated the Indians, and would have dis- banded his army, had not the governor put down the government which the people established, and again set up his own authority, and declared Bacon's gallant little 'army traitors. Would it have been just to have then disbanded them to become the victims of his vengeance? Surely not. But it was his duty to drive out the hostile governor, and establish the power of the people, and then retire.

We may obtain much light upon the subject of Bacon's character and conduct, by observing that an immense majority of the people were always on his side, and that he acted by their advice and authority as far as possible. The governor was only sustained by a few haughty aristocrats of his own stamp,-his warmest friends admit (Burke, vol. II. p. 185,) that when he went to Accomac he had not more than 20 men to stand by him; and that most of his followers in his return to Jamestown, were des- picable wretches, who were only induced to take sides with him against their country by the promise of plunder, to be taken from the discomfitted rebels. (Breviare and Conclusum : Burke, vol. II. p. 252.)

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The death of Bacon, by leaving the republicans without a head, revived the courage of the governor so far, that he ventured in his ships to move about upon the bay and rivers and attack the inhabitants wherever he could find them defenceless, and snatch a little plunder to gratify his needy fol- lowers; always retiring when the opposite party appeared to oppose him. This predatory species of warfare, preventing the quiet pursuit of agricul- tural labors, and destroying all the comfort and happiness of society with- out producing any beneficial result, soon grew wearisome to both parties. Sir William Berkeley whose cruelties, especially to his prisoners* had gone far to keep up the enthusiasm of popular excitement, finding that his name had ceased to strike that awe which habitual respect for one high in authority had formerly given it, and that his punishments excited indigna- tion rather than terror, felt disposed to take advantage by milder means of the returning pacific disposition on the part of a people whose stubborn tempers could not be brought into obedience by force. With this view he treated his prisoners with more liberality, published an act of general in- demnity, and proposed a treaty of peace to Ingram and Walklate, the prin- cipal leaders of the opposing party since the death of Bacon. So anxious were the people to be relieved from the present confusion and anarchy, and the governor once more to rule with uncurbed sway, that a treaty was speedily concluded, only stipulating on the part of the governor a general oblivion, and indemnity of past offences, and on the part of his opponents a surrender of their arms and a restoration of such property as they had taken. Thus easily did these unfortunate men deliver themselves again into the lions power, after having defeated him at all points, and inflicted deep and irremediable wounds upon his inflated vanity, and pompous mock- dignity. The governor when he had his enemies in his power, instead of trying to heal the wounds of the bleeding state by mildness and concilia- tion, only added to its sufferings by a bloody retribution for all the trouble which he had been made to endure. Fines and confiscations for the bene- fit of his excellency became the order of the day, and an occasional execu- tion as an extra treat to his vengeance. He at first attempted to wrest the honest juries of the county to his purpose, but in vain,-ten prisoners were acquitted in a single day. Finding that his enemies were thus likely to escape his grasp by the unflinching integrity, and sense of justice prevailing among the people, he determined to avoid the use of a court constituted upon principles of the English constitution, which he found so little subser- vient to his will; and tried his next victims under martial law. He here found a court of more congenial spirits. The commissioners of the king give an account of some of these trials, such as they were carried on even after their arrival, which mark well the spirit of the times. " We also ob- served some of the royal party, that sat on the bench with us at the trial, to be so forward in impeaching, accusing, reviling, the prisoners at bar, with that inveteracy, as if they had been the worst of witnesses, rather than jus- tices of the commission; both accusing and condemning at the same time. This severe way of proceeding represented to the assembly, they voted an address to the governor, that he would desist from any further sanguinary punishments, for none could tell when or where it would terminate. So the governor was prevailed on to hold his hands, after hanging 23."t A notable way which the governor adopted to replenish his purse

* See Sarah Drummond's petition,-Hening, vol. II. p. 558.

t Breviare and Conclusum in Burke, vol. II. p. 258.

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after the disasters of the war, was to relieve the rebels from a trial in one of his courts martial, in which they were to be condemned, upon their paying him a great portion of their estates, by way of compromise. This method of disposing of men's estates without trial or conviction was protested against by his majesty's commissioners as a gross violation of the laws of England, but which Sir William's friends seem to think only a just retri- bution for the losses sustained by himself and the royal party during the rebellion .* Enormous fines payable in provision were also found a conve- nient method of providing for the king's troops which had been sent over to subdue the colony.

His majesty's commissioners fortunately arrived in time to stay the wrath of the vindictive old man, who would as an eye witness says, " he verily believes, have hanged half the county if they had let him alone."t They urged him in vain to publish the king's proclamation of a general pardon and indemnity, and then proceeded to hold their commission for hearing and redressing grievances. As the proceedings of the governor diffused a gloom, the generality of which was co-extensive with the immense num- bers that were engaged in the rebellion, so did the proceedings of the com- missioners spread a universal joy. Crowds of persons now came forward to present their grievances; widows and orphans to ask for the confiscated estates of their husbands, and fathers who had been butchered by the mili- tary tribunals of the governor ; others come in to complain of the seizing their estates without the form of a trial, and many who had submitted them- selves upon the governor's proclamation of indemnity and pardon, con- ' plained of subsequent imprisonment and confiscations of their property.

The commissioners state in their report to the king and council, -that " in the whole course of their proceedings they had avoided receiving any complaints of public grievances; but by and under the hand of the most cred. ible, loyal and sober persons of each county, with caution, that they did not do it in any mutinous manner, and without mixture of their old leaven, but in such sort as might become dutiful subjects and sober, rational men to present." When they found that all their representations to Sir William Berkeley, to endeavor to induce him to restore the confiscated estates, which were in the possession of himself or his most faithful friends, were in vain, they ascertained as many of the possessors as possible, and made them give security to take care of them, until his majesty should determine as to the restitution, which they recommended him to make. The commissioners also devised several matters of utility for the peace, good government and , safety of the colony, which they recommended his majesty to adopt. Sir William Berkeley returned in the fleet to England, leaving Sir Herbert Jeffries, who had been sent over with the commissioners, as governor .- .Upon his arrival he found that his cruel conduct in Virginia was looked upon with horror by most of his former friends, and the council, and was not sustained by the king, subservient loyalty to whom had been the source and spring of his high-handed measures. The old knight, thus finding .himself execrated in Virginia, and despised in England, soon languished and died under the load of infamy, with which he had crushed the fair fame of his earlier years. Thus ended the life of Sir William Berkeley,'a so- vernor, whose early character historians have delighted to honor, and

* Justification of Berkeley, in Burke, vol. II. p. 263.

1 Pressly, quoted in Burke, vol. II. p. 208.

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whose subsequent conduct they have sought to excuse; but of whom we can find nothing better upon record, than the negative merit of not opposing the legislature in its schemes of government, in the early part of his reign; but whose latter years are disgraced by cowardly imbecillity, and stained with crune.

Before we take leave of the transaction which has been termed in com- plaisance to the royal governor, Bacon's Rebellion, it may not be amiss to east a hurried glance at the laws passed by the Legislature which met under his influence; which must go far with posterity in determining whether the name of rebels or patriots would be most consistent with the character of their acts. They strike first at the most important and pres- sing subject, and the one which had been most neglected,-the Indian war. They provide efficient means for conducting it, and for regulating the army. 'The next act prescribed regulations for Indian trading, the abuse of which was thought to have been very mischievous. They next pray his majesty's governor and council that the lands which had been set apart at the last peace exclusively for the Indians, and which had been or might be subsequently deserted by them, might not be granted away to individu- als, but might be used for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the war. The fourth act looks very little like an encouragement of rebellion, -reciting that tumults, riots and unlawful assemblies had recently been frequent, they make it the duty of every officer, civil and military in the country, to aid in suppressing them, and the duty of all citizens to assist such officers under penalty of punishment for refusal, and the governor is specially requested to assemble a force at the public charge with all possi- ble expedition, to suppress such tumults, and inflict condign punishment upon the offenders; which says the act "will conduce to the great safety and peace of this country, and enable us the better to defend ourselves against the barbarous and common enemy." This single act sheds more light upon the history of the times and exhibits more plainly the history of the views of the principal actors than any or perhaps all other docu- ments ; we see in it the reason why no private persons took advantage of the unsettled state of affairs to disturb the public peace, and that there was no tumult or armed force except the regular army raised by the Assembly and put under Bacon's command, and no rebellious assembly except the miscreant crew raised by Berkeley in opposition to the government estab- lished by the people.

Having thus provided for safety from foes without and for peace within, the Assembly next proceeded to the investigation of abuses by civil officers. Under this head they made several provisions for the prevention of abuses, which have been found so well dovised that they have continued in use to the present day. They next provide against the long continuance of ves- - tries in office; for the election of burgesses by freemen as well as freeholders; and against false returns of burgesses. Their eighth act provides against. abuses committed by the justices in laying county levies, and requires that a number of discreet men chosen by the people, equal in number to the jus- tices appointed by the governor, should act with the justices in laying the county levy. They next empowered the county courts to select their own collectors of county levies and dues; and prohibit any member of the council from sitting on the county court bench. Passing some acts of less general importance, but which were wise and useful, we come to an act of general pardon and indemnity for all crimes committed between the first of

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March and twenty-fifth of June, passed "out of a hearty and pious desire to put an end to all suits and controversies, that by occasion of the late fatal distractions have arisen," "and to bury all seeds of future discord and remembrance of anything whereby the citizens might be obnoxious to any pains or penalties whatsoever."

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A new and comprehensive gazetteer of Virginia, and the District of Columbia, Part 82

Author: Martin, Joseph. ed. cn; Brockenbrough, William Henry Publication date: 1835 Publisher: Charlottesville, J. Martin Number of Pages: 1278

Author: Martin, Joseph. ed. cn; Brockenbrough, William Henry
Publication date: 1835
Publisher: Charlottesville, J. Martin
Number of Pages: 1278